I've long been a Superchunk fan -- poppy, anthemic punk from the Tarheel State can be a truly wonderful thing.  Lead singer Mac McCaughan has had a side project, Portastatic, for a few years now, but I've never really been that interested in what I've heard.  It's struck me as, frankly, boring...which is odd, considering McCaughan's obvious gift for melody and structure; if he were thirty years older, he'd have had an office in the Brill Building.  But, as I said, Mac's solo stuff usually struck me as noodly and almost mopey.

What a difference a couple years makes.  Apparently, he's expanded Portastatic to full-band status, adding Superchunk bassist Jim Wilbur and his own brother, Matthew McCaughan, on drums.  And recently I ran across a track from their latest record (Bright Ideas) on Salon.com's excellent Audiofile column.  "I Wanna Know Girls" absolutely blew me away, and it has wormed its way, earwig-like, into my brain.  It's perfect:  sunny and propulsive and chock-full of hooks (and even a Public Enemy reference!)  Grab it here.

Now, you and your friends say love is blind

But I think it’s easy and kind

Or anyhow it could be

It buzzed me like it would be

You think we’re in the movies

But movies never move me

Don’t think that you can lose me

‘Cause love is like an Uzi

It weighs a ton

Oh yeah, my love weighs a ton

Hey!